Vitamin
D gets good marks for building better bodies
By Charlyn Fargo
Copley News Service
 
Cheese, milk, butter, fish and oysters are some of the natural sources
of vitamin D
Long known for building strong bones, vitamin D might
also build strong muscles and help older adults keep walking, according
to new research in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Researchers say the benefits of vitamin D and calcium supplementation
in reducing the risk of falls and broken bones among the elderly
have largely been attributed to their effects in preventing bone
loss. But their findings indicate that vitamin D could also play
a role in building muscle strength to support aging bones.
The study showed that older adults with a higher level of vitamin
D in their blood scored better on tests of mobility, such as walking
and getting up from a seated position, regardless of their activity
level.
Vitamin D is already known to boost calcium absorption and help
build and maintain bone strength, but it also acts as a hormone
in the body that might regulate the growth and development of other
tissues, such as muscles.
Some fortified foods contain vitamin D, but most of the vitamin
D people get is created by the skin in response to the ultraviolet
light from the sun.
In the study, researchers compared vitamin D levels and lower-body
mobility of more than 4,000 adults between ages 60 and 90 using
an 8-foot walk and sit-to-stand test.
Researchers found that older men and women with the highest levels
of vitamin D in their blood were an average of 0.27 seconds, or
5.6 percent faster in completing the walk test compared with those
with the lowest levels.
Higher vitamin D levels were also associated with better scores
in the sit-to-stand test, with those in the highest group completing
the test an average of 0.67 seconds, or 3.9 percent faster than
those with the lowest levels.
Researchers say those improvements in lower-body mobility remained
significant even after controlling for other factors known to affect
mobility, such as activity level, use of a walking device and arthritis.
Based on the findings, researchers suggest that vitamin D supplementation
could offer a way to improve lower-extremity function in both active
and inactive people over the age of 60. - American Journal of Clinical
Nutrition, September 2004.
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